Right Down the Middle
by LovelyLadyAnne
Summary: Four-shot. Terra, Aqua, and Ven are each imprisoned in their own personal hells of longing, misery, and confusion. What once was unbreakable has cracked and eroded away, and the prospect of mending is, unfortunately, slim.
1. Terra: Need

_a note from anne;;_

_hey guys! first kh fanfic, so go easy on me. i'm fairly new to the world of kingdom hearts, but i've played birth by sleep, watched cutscenes of various other games and read pretty much every page on the wiki, stalked the fandom, and basically turned myself into a lunatic. so, anyway, i'm thinking this will be a four-shot, with terra in his prison-dark-place with xehanort, then aqua in rod, ventus's dreams, and finally them breaking free and reuniting._

Want.

It was once such a simple emotion, one that seemed so childish now. One that had been portrayed when the Master would not let him travel other worlds until he reached a higher rank.

W-A-N-T.

The unfamiliar word surged through Terra's mind, however dormant it was. Surrounded by nothing but blackness and that wretched demon, wearing that perpetual smirk with his hands clutched behind his back. Want no longer existed. All there was left was _need._

Like he _needed _to return to the world of the living, leave this god-forsaken place, and finally find his friends.

His friends.

Aqua. Her name instantly brought back her fairy-like face, her slight smile, the way her azure eyes glimmered whenever they rested upon either Ven or Terra, or 'her boys' as she affectionately called them. She seemed so close, so very close. Torturously close. His hand flicked out to caress her milky white cheek, to show her the fondness that had been shoved below the rage he had about her spying on him, though the illusion dissipated before his shocked cobalt eyes. A gasp leaked out from between his parted lips, and he whirled around, searching for his Aqua. He ran into the darkness, his hands squeezing open, shut, open, shut, as if on one turn he would find her slender fingers entwined in his own.

But there was no bluenette in sight. He could run forever, turn around, and there the serpent would stand, eternally.

Distantly he remembered, one of his most precious memories of them, seated on a bench in the Land of Departure. His eyes locked on the stars, her knees pulled close to her chest, her head leaned against his shoulder and her nose nuzzled against his gray shirt. Beside Aqua sat Ventus, who had dozed off not long before the girl next to him had as she had seen him asleep in quite an uncomfortable position with his neck bent back. She had smiled warmly and lowered him so he was lying on his side with his head on the edge of her thigh. "Hopeless sleepyhead." She muttered affectionately. Absently she had stroked his hair, and so nodded off like that, her face pressed into Terra's shoulder and her hand on Ven's head, as if protecting him.

Ventus. His brother. Terra still didn't know what had happened to the boy, whether he was living happily with Aqua, or he had been taken over by Vanitas, or if he was dead. The last thought made the young man whimper, ever so quietly. That couldn't be true. Aqua would have protected him, of that Terra was certain. He pictured the fifteen-year-old's comforting toothy grin, his arms thrown behind his head blissfully. Ven was always more flamboyant, attention-seeking, than Aqua. Instead of tenderly tracing his cheek with his thumb when he was down, like Aqua did, he clapped him on the shoulder (or at least he tried; Ven was of average size for his age and Terra was quite big for his nineteen years.) and cheerfully encouraged him. They both had different ways of comforting him, and they both did their jobs well.

Another reminiscence rocked him to the core. Terra and Ventus were sparring, while Aqua perched daintily atop a half-wall, watching them with her eyes half-open. "Ven…" Aqua mused, cradling her chin in two cupped hands, "Why do you hold your Keyblade like that?"

Between slashes at Terra, the boy answered, "I…don't know…Aqua…I just…do, I guess."

The bluenette rolled her eyes. "That's not much of an answer."

Ventus winked. "Sorry."

"I know why." Memory-Terra grinned, dodging a swipe from the blond boy. "The Ventus just feels the need to be different. It's its natural instinct to be peculiar." He teased, as if narrating a documentary on some foreign animal. Aqua chuckled, while Ven's eyes narrowed.

"Oh, you're _so_ gonna get it, Terra…"

The memory let loose a tortured scream from Terra's mouth, as he sank to his knees on the cold ground. Xehanort took no notice; it seemed he was so caught up in directing the little slave they lived in the mind of that he had become oblivious to the scene around him. So he was indeed alone. Not that he cared; it would ruin him for Xehanort to see him like this. That demon could _not_ see Terra weak. Never.

He didn't want Aqua and Ventus…he _needed_ them. He needed them like he needed water, or oxygen, or food, or…he realized that nothing else would be necessary enough to be compared to the importance of his friends-no, his closest companions. His everything. His only reason for staying alive. The only reason he didn't let himself sink into the inviting darkness long ago.

But now, he wasn't sure. He wasn't sure whether he would ever sense Aqua's crystalline cyan orbs ensnaring him into doing whatever she wished. He wasn't sure if he would ever ruffle Ven's spiky hair and feel his hand being playfully smacked away. The yearning he felt seemed to be pulling him towards them, so far away but so very touchable. His arm stretched, fingertips longing to touch her arm, as he saw the bluenette with her palm on the back of the blond youth's head, seemingly petting his windswept hair. Terra's arm dropped. Aqua glanced up and smiled invitingly, while Ven grinned and waved. The two then outstretched their free hands, and Terra clawed at them with his own. But to no avail; they passed right through. _Hallucinations_, he told himself. _I've gone crazy_. _Bonkers. Off my rocker. Lost my marbles._

Regardless, Terra wished with every fiber in his being that he could be with them as a single tear slid down his cheek and into the hollow darkness below, lost forever.


	2. Aqua: Sorrow

Aqua didn't cry much. She'd decided early on that it was useless and all she could do was search for a way out. But that day…the pain was fresh, kindled anew by a disturbingly real image. She was lying on her side, legs pulled in close and her arms clamped at her knees, as if holding her together. The cries that ripped from her lungs weren't soft, ladylike, or gentle. It felt as if her chest was going to explode any moment, those loud, wet, anguished sobs radiating through her every nerve.

"Ven…" She choked past her convulsing throat, but still she wept like never before. "Terra…oh God, I'm sorry…I'm so sorry…"

The images that flew past her eyelids seemed so real at the time. She was in her armor, holding a frozen Ventus tightly in her arms, staring down at his motionless face, his clear ocean blue eyes darting back and forth anxiously. The steam cleared, and there stood Terra, slumped at his back, a rare sight. Aqua clutched Ven close with one hand and extended the other towards her weakened friend. He made no move towards her, only winced and reached towards his chest. Tenderly, she sets the blond boy on the ground and stands, slowly walking towards Terra and lowering her head so she could see his face. "Terra...?"

Suddenly, he howled in pain and sank to his knees, panting and clutching his dark gray shirt near his heart. "Terra!" Aqua cried, diving onto her knees and stretching out her arms to hold him as she remembered doing so long ago, when they were young children and the older boy had taken a harsh fall from the tree he had been climbing. But…she knew that no amounts of Curaga would heal him now.

Ventus, who had managed to thaw himself, had staggered closer to his comrades, looking confused by Terra's state. Aqua reached for the boy and pulled him into her long arms along with Terra's trembling figure.

"A…qua…" She heard Terra murmur, and she pressed her hand to his cheek. "Yes?"

"Let me go…take Ven away….leave…now." He managed a weak shove, then strengthened and pushed her to her feet. Instinctively she wrapped an arm around Ventus's shoulders and peered at Terra quizzically. "What's going on, Terra?" Ventus asked.

Abruptly his head jerked upwards, and, starting from the roots, his chocolate brown hair began turning metallic silver. His eyes blinked once, and were suddenly gold.

"Terra's heart has been extinguished." The body of her companion said quietly. "Smothered by the darkness within him!" The sentence turns to an intense crescendo, morphing into a shout at the word 'him.'

A gasp escaped Aqua's lips and she shoved Ven behind her, but the silver-haired Terra grabbed his Keyblade, pointed it at the two, and smirked.

Sweat poured down her forehead and onto the ground in rivulets, mixing with her tears and forming an undeniably salty mixture. Aqua lurched to her feet, wiping the moisture from her bleary eyes and face and glancing around for any kind of Unversed or Heartless. Upon seeing none, she collapsed back onto the ground and tried not to waste any more tears. "My boys." She gasps out, convulsing and quivering with the sobs that had been spent. "My boys…"

Not Ventus. Not her little brother. Not the sweet-faced, smiling angel who had weaseled out her adoration upon minutes of meeting him. No more pressing her lips to the crown of his head, no more hugging him to her and feeling him peck her quickly on the cheek, as a reassurance that he knew that he was so very important to her. She would have given anything, _anything_, to have him in her arms.

Not Terra. Not her oldest friend. Not the huge softy who was always able to lift her up by her waist and swing her around, no matter how tired he was. No more stroking of his spiky hair, no more stretching onto her tip-toes and pushing him down to her level so she could wrap her arms around his neck and hold him close. Nothing. _Nothing._

How could the two most important people in her life be ripped away so violently?

Ventus had always been so sweet to her. The memory of the day she tried to teach him Firaga returned to her with a vengeance. They had been practicing for nearly an hour and the trees that surrounded the small clearing were all charred and practically falling over.

At last Ven let **Wayward Wind** dissipate and leaned back on the trunk of an oak that somehow survived the inferno. "Aqua, can you show me something?"

"Sure, what it it?"

"Terra told me about an attack called Lightbloom. He said that it was amazing, but only you were flexible enough to do it."

Aqua froze. Her grip tightened on **Rainfell**. "Ven…"

"Please?" He blinked at her sadly, irresistibly with his bright, sky blue eyes.

The girl sighed and readied herself, before beginning the smooth dance of Lightbloom. She began spinning, first close to the ground and simply, huddled around her Keyblade. But she slowly began to stretch her body to full height, twisting and shooting out beams of bright light from her weapon. Soon she was twirling so quickly, so elaborately, with one leg behind her head. Afterwards, she stopped, moving back into her typical battle stance with a fluidity unmatched.

The bluenette glanced at Ventus with a smile, who watched her, awestruck.

"Aqua…that was…that was beautiful."

And again she remembered walking with the blond boy near the cliffs, stopping to take off her boots and dangle her feet into the pool at the pit of one of the many small waterfalls. Ventus grinned blissfully up at her, laughing every time one of the tiny fish would try nibbling at his toes. She joined in the laughter, splashing him playfully. Ven scowled and reached into the water, grabbing a minnow by its tail and dangling it in front of her nose. The young lady squealed girlishly and leaned backwards, towards the waters below.

"Aqua!" Ven cried, lunging down to grab her arm and pull her back to the safety of the ground. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to-"

To his evident surprise, Aqua giggled. "C'mon, Ven. Should have let me fall, I've been _dying_ to take a swim lately."

She very dimly remembered meeting the older Terra, back when she was only three years old. Her mother, the beautiful Amaya, with her long, thick plait of blue hair, and her father, Avis, his ocean eyes shining in fatherly pride down at her, (the only remnants in her memory of the two) were once friends of Master Eraqus. The signature traits of her parents were copied flawlessly into the crying toddler that had first met the Master. He had told her the story when she was twelve years old, nine years after the incident.

Shoved into the middle-aged man's arms by a saddened and tousled Amaya, with a quick hiss of 'Protect her- I must battle the darkness.', before her mother disappeared back into the portal. Aqua buried her face into Eraqus's shoulder and wailed, but the black-haired man kept his gaze on the receding portal, focused on the image of Amaya holding up her dark blue Keyblade. He watched in horror as suddenly the woman froze, her pupils rolled back, and she fell, eyes fluttering closed as her body slumped to the ground. Just before the image faltered and blinked out, the still form of Avis was revealed, lying on his back, his blue eyes fogged and unseeing, white hair brushed over his face.

The girl he held in his arms was the lone survivor of her world, now lost to darkness. He soothingly rubbed her trembling back until she stopped crying, and carried her inside, before tenderly setting her on the ground. His apprentice, five-year-old Terra, stood near the door, curiously studying the smaller girl that clung to Eraqus's leg.

"Master, what's wrong with her?" The boy questioned, placing his hands on his knees to get a good look at the tiny female.

"Shh, Terra. Her world was just destroyed; she's probably traumatized." Eraqus picked her back up and draped her over his shoulder, while she put her thumb in her mouth and bit on it, trying to hold back whimpers.

Slowly he carried her to a spare bedroom, Terra following on his heels like a lost puppy. The man set the little girl down into the bed, tucking the covers around her and kissing her forehead. "Good night, little one. You must be exhausted." The small, blue-haired child sniffled and nodded, before yanking the soft blue blankets around her like a cocoon. Eraqus left, though Terra lingered. He looked thoughtful for a long moment, before he too leaned towards her and pressed his lips to her head. She blinked up at him quizzically, her doe-eyes big and scared.

"Don't worry. You'll be safe here. I'll protect you, I promise." The little boy grinned and left the room, shutting the door ever-so-gently. The girl smiled to herself, snuggled closer into the sheets, and drifted off to sleep.

Four years later, a seven-year-old Aqua held a miniature model of her Keyblade **Rainfell **(which had, unbeknownst to her, had been modeled by Eraqus after her mother's weapon)**, **at her battle stance, staring determined across the courtyard at the boy she had been tirelessly training with and bonding with for all those years. Eraqus whistled once, and the two children ran towards each other, Aqua with her fake **Rainfell** and Terra wielding his old wooden Keyblade, the one the younger girl helped him make and even carved his name into. Terra was larger and faster, but Aqua was flexible and nimble, launching herself into the air in an elaborate cartwheel over his head. She attempted an attack from behind, but the boy knew her. Aqua leaped and dodged, feigned and twirled, as if in a tireless dance, not even breaking a sweat. But Terra gasped and panted, overwhelming the weaker girl with his already amazing strength, though he choked for air.

At last, it seemed he had her. His Keyblade aimed for her neck, about to press gently into it as a gesture to say he won. But Aqua twisted, falling backwards as if she had been knocked down. Terra reached towards her, looking concerned, but she caught herself with her hands and flipped to her feet, knocking the wood toy from his hands with a swipe of her armored boot.

Eraqus clapped enthusiastically. "Well done Aqua! It seems as if you have broken Terra's three-day winning streak. Perhaps it will be you who breaks the record next."

"No way." Terra drawled, picking up the plaything and stabbing it into the ground. Aqua turned and grinned proudly at him. He lunged at her playfully, but she gracefully side-stepped and stuck her tongue out. Terra sighed and continued, the last in line as the three of them headed inside to eat dinner.

Once again trapped on the dim beach, Aqua staggered to her feet and trudged over to a rock she often perched on. She sat down and buried her face into her ivory bell-sleeves. Her hand reached into her pocket and took out her wayfinder, staring sadly down at it.

"I'll protect you, I promise." A much younger Terra said in her mind.

Aqua cradled the glass trinket like one would a baby. "Someday, I'll see you again." She said firmly, tightening her grip on it and staring into the face of the endless darkness.


	3. Ventus: Oblivion

_a note from anne;;_

_in this story, at the time of birth by sleep, ven was fifteen, aqua was seventeen, and terra was nineteen, just to clear things up._

For all those countless years, Ventus had been dreaming and waiting.

Most of the time, he stood at his Station, staring wistfully at his Wayfinder and mourning the friends he had lost. At first he imagined them home again, rebuilding it, continuing life without him. But, after a while, he was struck with a peculiar vision, which spurned the endless cycle of dreams, memories, and flash-forwards.

Aqua was first. He saw her wandering along the shore of a dark, sullen beach, the gray waters frothing and illuminated rocks lining the sands. Her eyes, oh, her beautiful eyes! So crisp, so crystalline they had been! But, as he gazed upon her current face, those wonderful, stunning orbs were no longer there. Replaced by the flattest of sapphire hues, the most lifeless of shades. No spark of life in her stunningly blue gaze, not a touch of joy that had always been there when he had known her. Only despair. He gasped and reached towards her, but she didn't see him. Only held her Wayfinder tightly to her chest and bowed her head sorrowfully.

How did she get here? How could such a sweet, compassionate being end up in such a forsaken place? Ven gawked, watched her walk, even her steps appeared to be taken so hesitantly, as if she was forcing herself to continue! This could not be Aqua. She would be walking boldly, so confidently, with her head held high and her delicate eyebrows arched down in determination.

But he saw her impish nose, he saw her shell pink lips, he even saw her azure locks chopped short and spiked at the back of her head. Still so statuesque, still so elegant in every move she made, but melancholy, cheerless as her only emotion. She continued her sad trudge along the shore, while Ven ran after her, grabbing at her sashes and trying to get her attention. Finally he let out a cry of frustration.

Aqua froze.

"I-is anyone here?" She murmured, summoning…Master Keeper. Ventus staggered back a couple steps at the sight of his master's Keyblade. But the most shock to him was her _voice_. So heartbroken! It sounded as if she would collapse in sobs any moment, and that made the blond boy lean towards her, trying to grasp her hand. "Aqua…" He whispered despondently.

The young woman jerked her head to the side, and the slightest flash of hope in her eyes, just a prick, warmed Ventus at the sight. "Ven!" She cried, turning wildly around as if looking for him.

"Aqua!" The younger male grabbed at her arm, but came up fruitless. He slumped dejectedly.

"I'm not really here, Aqua. I don't know why you're here, either. But I…I don't want you to look so sad. Can you brighten up a bit? Just for me?"

Aqua looked as if she'd seen a ghost. Not a frightening ghost, though, not a creepy apparition in the dark. But the spirit of an old friend, a long deceased brother. A joyful, yet shocked expression. "Ven…don't go…don't leave me here." A tear trekked down her cheek, and she placed a trembling hand over her heart. "Please."

Ven yearned to wipe away the droplet of water on her radiant face, but he resisted. "I'm sorry…Aqua. I can't stay for long, but don't be sad. Keep fighting, and one day I'll be with you again."

The vision began to fade, and Aqua ran towards him, or probably where she thought his voice was coming from. "VEN!" She sobbed, sinking to her knees. Ventus stepped towards her, but then she was gone, her and the dark, somber beach. He was back at his station, confused as ever.

He saw no dream of Terra, which terrified him. He had known he should have asked Aqua of the man, but the woman's distressed state had overwhelmed him. What had happened to him that was so terrible that he could not be seen? Not be contacted? Not even a glimpse of his whereabouts? Of course the boy worried for his friend, but somewhere, deep inside, he knew Terra was still alive in some way.

Just like he was certain that one day he would one day escape this lonely prison and reunite with the both of them.

If only he could bury his face into Aqua's neck again, hold her close and apologize, apologize for all he had said to her back in Radiant Garden. He had been so fiercely loyal to Terra, that he had overlooked the grief in her eyes as she informed them of the Master's instructions. The bitter words had taken their toll, even though he had disregarded it then. The flash of agony that rolled through her gaze like a storm cloud had disappeared in similar fashions; not a trace of it left after it had run its course. Replaced by clear blue skies of gentle compassion.

He pitied Terra, as well. His bitterness towards Eraqus for not naming him a Master had weakened their bond; even so, it hadn't wrecked it completely. Aqua had told him that Master Eraqus had discovered Terra as a newborn child, barely alive, left carelessly on the frigid steps of the castle wrapped only in a threadbare blanket in the midst of Winter. The Master had always wanted children of his own, but by the time his dream of becoming a Keyblade Master had been achieved, there was simply no chance of that. So he took little Terra in, raised him as his own son with a firm yet kind hand and trained him in the art of Keyblade wielding. Five years later Aqua was added, a feminine touch to the household, though Terra had always playfully told her that things were much more fun before her. She had typically counteracted with 'Fun maybe, but clean? No Terra, when I first met you, I was genuinely frightened by your stench.'

Ventus had envied their bond himself, but they both made sure to completely include him in every way possible. Whenever they trained, even though they were more advanced in their wielding skills, they took the time to show him techniques that they used, even assuring him that once he reached their level, they would teach him how to perform spells and attacks themselves. They would go easy on him in duels, that is, until he caught up with them, then they sincerely just barely won. Except a few times when a triumphant Ventus had having a particularly lucky day.

Dodging and surprise attacks were Ven's specialty. Aqua was moderately good at it, but her strongpoint had always been spells and magical miscellanea. Terra was truly terrible with the agile side of fighting, instead relying on his brute strength to overwhelm his opponent. And usually that worked, but often times Ventus would outsmart him, like dive underneath a winning blow and counteract with a quick dash behind the bigger man. Terra was intelligent, that was for sure, but he was slow in terms of attacking. Unlike Aqua, he learned by doing, instead of spending night after night reading spellbooks and the like.

Once again trapped at his station, Ven took out his Wayfinder and held it tightly with both hands. "Aqua…Terra…one day we'll be together again. Promise."


	4. The Trio: Reunion

a note from anne;; yeah this chapter sucks. i may rewrite it, but for now it sums up the story. alrighty then, let's continue with the show.

Three figures stood alone on a cloudy shore, side by side, their hands intertwined impossibly tightly. A slender, gloved one, engulfed by a tanned one much larger. The former, copied flawlessly, though it gripped an only slightly smaller one, with the gentle firmness a mother would show her child. Eyes like the clearest mountain lake peeked open, flicking to the blond-haired boy with his face raised to the gray sky, and then to the brunette man, the water flowing across his smooth features and dripping slowly off his chin. The owner of those eyes, a blue-haired female, squeezed the tanned hand in her grasp, and the brunette's eyelids slitted open, revealing irises rivaling gemstones with their rich cobalt hue. They concentrated at the smiling young woman before him, and a crooked curve to his lips showed. The blond wiped rain from his eyes, grinning happily at his companions, orbs as clear and blue as the afternoon sky instantly brightening the dismal surroundings.

"I told you." Murmured the bluenette, Aqua.

"Told us what?" Ventus, the blond, narrowed his eyes, showing apparent confusion.

"That we had an unbreakable connection." A smile bloomed on her face, as she reached into her pocket and tugged out her Wayfinder. The other two copied her, holding out the matching trinkets, brown cords dangling towards the ground.

"You were right." Whispers the last remaining person, by the name of Terra. He stares down at his own, once just an orange lucky charm for their Mark of Mastery exam. Over the course of their journey, the little bauble had morphed into a symbol of their friendship.

_It had been in his hand when he had been brought back. The empty suit of armor, knowing only hatred and determination, had at last been reunited with the two people he vowed to protect and cherish most. Aqua's slim fingers ghosted over the two prongs at the back of his head, Ven dusting off the black visor, peering deep inside it as if he could see his best friend's face. _

"_Aqua…there's nothing there. It's hollow." He mumbled sadly, straightening after being bent down towards the kneeling figure. _

"_No. Terra's there, however deep inside he may be. We just have to believe in him." She pried the metal fingers from around the guard of Ends of the Earth and over her own. "Terra." His name was barely a whisper, but it called a fraction of memories back into the void of blackness that was the Lingering Sentiment. "Come back to us, Terra." The soft feminine voice spoke to the seething orb of hatred and desire, soothed it like cool water over a smoldering flame. _

"_C'mon, Terra! You don't expect us to save the worlds all by ourselves, do you?"_

_A different voice, that stirred feelings of…was that protectiveness? Fondness? All foreign to that dead hunk of steel._

_Ever so slightly, the helmet rose. Stared into the worried eyes of his friend, caught glimpses of soft azure hair and tousled blond spikes. That harsh, metallic grinding noise sounded, translated into words by some unknown force. "Aqua…Ven…" But this time, it had an underlying tone. A deep, husky, tired voice. The three people standing behind the little group exchanged confused glances, while the ones named smiled almost simultaneously. _

_Aqua's soft touch against the helmet earned another portion of emotions. "That's right…"_

_Arms reached out, rusted and battered by the sands of the wasteland. Cradled the female's cheek, while the other hand grasped Ventus's shoulder tightly. _

_The Keyblade once gripped with a deadly force disappeared, in that peculiar swarm of blocks and cubes, forming into numbers into data before dissipating completely. _

"_Terra?" Whispered Ven. Aqua dug around in her pocket for a short moment, before taking out a shiny orange bauble, untouched by the merciless pounding of time. She had found it floating in the waters of the Dark Margin, no doubt left behind by the evil man who had taken over her best friend's body. She pressed it into the weathered leather glove, curling his hand around it with a slight smile._

_The two shielded their eyes as a bright white light engulfed the hulking mass of armor, leaving behind a deadly silence and a much softer touch to Aqua's face and Ven's shoulder._

_A young man now knelt on the ground, strands of thick brown hair waving in his face. The three lingering behind the trio all wandered forward, the silver-haired boy summoning his Keyblade._

_Aqua held up her free hand as a sign to keep back, then lowered it to gaze in awe at the face of her best friend. The boy she had grown up with._

_Ven stared wide-eyed at the sight, trapped in the moment. He had only just been a woken by Aqua, with the help of Sora. The last remaining member of the forgotten trio returning was an even that shocked him into silence._

_After a couple moments, the figure slumped, and the bluenette moved forward quickly to grab his wrists. "Terra, are you alright?" She murmured, already feeling hot tears spill down her cheeks. A deep shudder travelled down the massive Keyblade wielder's spine, before cobalt eyes opened to gaze upon his two closest friends._

"_Great."_

_And with that, he grinned and hooked an arm around Ven's shoulder, and used the other to hold the back of Aqua's head, who had let out a blissful cry of "TERRA!" and wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her face into his dark gray shirt. _

_Finally, the straying wind, the unshakable earth, and the gentle water had reunited._

Aqua gazed out at the stormy horizon, and she grabbed her friends' hands once again, smiling as more rain spilled from the heavens on their faces.

"Together. Always."


End file.
